South America, Peru, Southern Peru, Chichiccapac and Other Peaks, Cordillera Carabaya

Publication Year: 1974.

Chichiccapac and Other Peaks, Cordillera Carabaya. I joined Steve McAndrews of the American Andean Ski Expedition and Ian Harverson of the Australian Andean Expedition for a short visit to the Carabaya in mid-October. Our approach was a direct eight-hour walk from Macusani to Base Camp below the large lake west of Chichiccapac. A high camp was placed for the ascent of this peak ( 18,426 feet) from the west. We reached the top on October 12 in poor visibility and high winds. The day before, I climbed a 17,000-foot peak, southwest of Chichiccapac, finding a cairn on top. After spending a day snow-bound at Base Camp, we visited the valley leading to another lake below the line of prominent towers east of Allinccapac. Another camp was placed below the glacier coming off the west face of the twin peak, Ispa Rita* (18,770 feet). The attempt on this peak was turned back by poor weather 500 feet from the summit and we retreated in steady snow to a camp by the lake. We left the area by the Ppauchinta valley on October 17. This valley leads to the Ollachac road. The pattern of weather in October was predictably stormy, often with hot cloudless mornings but every day by midday or earlier, we had thunder storms with snow usually to low levels.

Michael G. Andrews, New Zealand Alpine Club

* Ispa Riti would probably be the same as Allinccapac II or Nevado Yuraccapac of the Oxford University Expedition of 1960.—M.G.A.